On the Ropes In this riveting documentary, directors Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen follow the careers of three up-and-coming boxers in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant district, who have nothing to fall back on if they fail. There's George, a golden gloves champion on the verge of turning pro; Tyrene, a determined born-again Christian scheduled to stand trial on a trumped-up drug charge; and Noel, a Puerto Rican high-schooler struggling with his desire to skip school and drink. All three are linked by their trainer Harry Keitt, a reformed ex-con struggling to find redemption. Each individual has his or her own major hurdle dead ahead: will George sell out and leave Harry behind for a "name" trainer? Will Tyrene beat her rap in time for the women's golden gloves tournament? Will Noel get past his ego and insecurity, and fight with determination? If this were a Rocky sequel, of course, we'd have a pretty good idea of the answer. Because it's real life, however, we don't know what's going to happen next, and the tension is more palpable than in any other movie so far this year. Even if you think you don't like documentaries, give this one a shot: The characters are engrossing, the stakes are high, and there's even a pulse-pounding hip-hop soundtrack composed especially for the movie. The American dream has not been so effectively fought for onscreen in a long, long time.